Microsoft, Cisco collaboration tie-up 12 months on: Still just PR fluff?

It's been a year since Cisco and Microsoft CEOs Steve Ballmer and John Chambers took to the stage to indulge in some collaborative lovefest, which some observers dismissed as just PR fluff. Just a day later, the event was overshadowed by Microsoft publishing a white paper detailing how its product is more superior to Cisco's equivalent. Fast foward 12 months and Cisco and Microsoft are set to do battle in the e-mail space through Cisco's recent acquisition of Exchange rival PostPath. Despite the rocky start to the relationship, both companies say the interoperability effort is still full-on, according to an interview with Cisco and Microsoft execs that's posted on Microsoft's Press Pass Web site,

Kathy Hill, senior vice president of Access and Networking Services says the highlight of the past 12 months has been the companies' joint efforts in embedding Windows Server 2008 on Cisco’s Wide-Area Appliance Service (WAAS) - called “Windows Server on WAAS.” She also points to Cisco shipping products that optimize networks for Microsoft applications in the branch office and over WANs. Meanwhile Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft, points to Cisco joining Microsoft and other vendors to become members of TSANet, "an industry organization that is trying to make it easier for companies to manage multi-vendor IT contracts," he explains. Muglia also mentions the launch of Microsoft's Linksys Media Extender, which works in conjunction with Windows Vista Media Center to deliver streamed content from the PC to the TV, says Muglia.

Looking ahead, Muglia says the union will "continue to focus on datacenter architecture, security, IT management and online services-related scenarios." He stresses the importance of the partnership. "The fact that we have executive-level buy-in right up to the boardroom as evidenced by the joint launch of the initiative by both CEOs last year is a measure of our collective commitment to making it work on behalf of our customers."

There's not much in the Press Pass interview that signals any significant developments beyond this being PR fluff. Let's be honest, who even remembers this tie-up?

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